The Lambeth Lancers goaltender, who wrapped up the Provincial Junior Hockey League regular season with a personal 20-0 record, remembered his team being down two goals to Mt. Brydges early in the third period of a game in December.

"It was right before Christmas break," the 18-year-old Londoner and former Jr. Knight said. "We came back and scored three (in a four-minute span) to win it in regulation. We're a pretty skilled team.

"It's been a fun year so far."

And his numbers are staggering.

MacDonald, who formed a major midget AAA tandem with now-Knights OHL stopper Jordan Kooy last season, gave up 11 goals in his first three junior games for first-place Lambeth.

He surrendered only 18 the rest of the way, good for a 1.49 goals against average and .956 save percentage with seven shutouts. He enters the playoffs, which begin Wednesday against Aylmer, riding a four-game shutout streak.

No one has put a puck past him since Port Stanley got one Jan. 13 in a 10-1 Lancers victory.

"No one talks about (the perfect record) that much, which is probably good because of the jinx thing," MacDonald said. "There's not a lot of pressure when you're up 6-0 and the team in front of you can produce goals like we do."

Dorchester and Exeter are still Jr. C puck powers, but Lambeth is suddenly the team to beat.

Two years ago, the Lancers won 10 of 40 games. This season, they dropped only five contests and had the best record in franchise history.

"I thought we would be strong," GM Tony Mandarelli said, "but I didn't think we would have just five losses. It was a lot of hard work by kids who came in and followed our program all the way through. Everyone's on the same page. Ownership (Josh Flanagan and Terry Graham) and (director of hockey operations) Perry Sempecos did a great job. We brought in the right guys and clinched first place.

"But we still have to play in the playoffs. You lose there, the regular season means nothing."

At the roster deadline, the Lancers picked up veteran Junior B goalie Zach Weir from Strathroy (4-0 since his arrival) and forward Brody Smith from St. Marys. Carson Esipu, a former St. Thomas Star, has become the team's scoring leader with 32 goals and 65 points in 38 games.

"We've got a team that's driven," Mandarelli, still a successful Jr. Knights midget coach, said. We're built pretty good for going forward the next couple of years."

The future is unlikely to include MacDonald.

The St. Andre Bessette student is mulling over studying engineering this fall at either Western or Queen's universities.

It's sure to be a pretty full schedule, so he's still not certain where netminding fits in. He had Junior B aspirations at the start of this year and his stats line suggests he is ready for that level.

"I still have to make a decision," he said. "I like playing. I went to Lambeth this year because that's where it was suggested I go and I heard they would have a good team."